Central Apennines crossing

October 2023, Abruzzo region. We set off, guided by Maurizio with Mytrails app and supported by me with Mapy. Short 3 km climb out of Roccaraso on the Sangritana road and then a very stony and humid dirt path (it rained in recent days) which corresponds to the Italia Path, stage Q12. Very “dirty”, not used by hikers or agricultural vehicles. Downhill, for about ten km, we cross a deserted village, Rocca Cinquemiglia…

Joyfull end of an hard cycling day.
Crossing an abandoned railway.

Then we take the Apulian-Sannitic sheep track that runs along the SS17 which we then cross. Here Maurizio realizes that he has lost his goretex shell. On an impulse he decides to go back and look for it, not recommended by everyone… he kept it tied to his backpack, dangling… it probably got hooked somewhere. Once the “captain” is lost, the command, so to speak, passes to me. We immediately find a very muddy dirt road, it blocks the wheels. We retrace our steps and opt for an itinerary on asphalt directed to Isernia.

Monteroduni, Isernia province, Molise.

Monteroduni is a village perched on a mountain, about 200 meters above our heads. Amazing lift, with the shortest gear. Olive trees. Coffee at the bar. The bartender tells us that in this village every year, since 30 years,a jazz event has been organized with the best Italian authors. Eddie Lang, the one who introduced the acoustic guitar into jazz, born in the USA in Philadelphia to immigrants from this village. This is the door to the Matese Regional Park that we are about to cross.

Evening rest (closed to the bikes!)
Landascape over Matese Lake

In Letino, a short stop at the Che Guevara bar. Felice chats with a customer, we are in the places of the Matese gang. What emerges is the story of the birth of the first Anarchist Republic of Italy, at the beginning of the 20th century, following a popular protest for the failure to build a mill promised by the State. The anarchists Cafiero and Malatesta joined the protest and eventually the mill was built. Felice and the customer hug each other… then back on the bike, on modest ups and downs. We descend slightly onto the valley that hosts Matese Lake, a wide veil of water where flocks and herds of horses drink among grazing mountains.

San Gregorio Matese
Crossing San Gregorio Matese.

It’s now 4pm. Rapid descent onto San Gregorio Matese, a village halfway up the hill, perched on the mountainside and surrounded by deep ravines. We cross it by taking a very steep central paved path, on the verge of tipping over. And then another full descent to Piedimonte, Marco and I chasing each other hairpin bend after hairpin bend.

Olive trees in Montesarchio.

Late afternoon. It’s time to look for an accommodation. The farmhouse we chose is “La vista sul Taburno”, which is precisely the limestone mountain right in front of the structure. Unfortunately it’s at the top of an impossible climb! It is located among the olive trees, with an adjoining restaurant. Shower and bed rest, while outside gusts of hot and violent wind cross the valley. Montesarchio is located in the Caudina Valley, here the battle of the Caudine Forks took place between the Samnites and the Romans, won by the former in 321 BC. This small town, dominated by a castle and a tower, lives on agriculture with the production of oil and wine. We have dinner at the farmhouse, which everyone defines as superlative and cheap.

Solofra, monument to the tanner.

From Avellino you go up and down for another 15 km. We reach Solofra, a town in Irpinia, a goatskin tanning district. We arrive around 2.30pm when it has stopped raining. We shop for food at the supermarket, bread, provola and ham, beer… and then have a snack around the monument to the tanner. It’s now evening. A flock of ringing goats passes by. There is no shortage of raw material here!

Cyclamen graecum
Six guys at Salerno’s seaside.

Last stop today, short. We descend from the hills to the sea on a secondary road between vegetable gardens and hazelnut groves, …the valley flows into the Gulf of Salerno. At midday we are on the seafront of this city, our trip goal. It is very pleasant, hot (almost 30 degrees) but with a blowing nice breeze. There is a local saying that says “If Salerno had a port… Naples would be dead!” Around us a multitude of sunday tourists, they seems to ignore those ones that closed to them are running the city half marathon. Here our journey through the Central Apennines ends. The last athletes are passing by. Honking cars are headed to the stadium to watch Salernitana-Turin football match. Cugliuniamo a little more then we head to the train station. Headed home!

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